Abstract:
The two novels analyzed in The Role of Writing in Constructing the Self in Alawiyah Sobh's Mariam al-Hakayah [Mariam the Tales] and Rabih Alameddine's 1, the Divine share the theme of constructing self-identity. This study demonstrates how self-identity is dynamic and ever growing. In the first novel, Mariam the main protagonist succeeds in constructing her self when she decides to write her own story rather than wait for Alawiyah, the second main protagonist, to do so. Through the many metadiegetic narratives that Mariam narrates, Mariam identifies the extent of her objectification which is the condition that motivates her into constructing her self identity so as to become her own subject. Just as Mariam writes her memoir to construct her self, Alawiyah, the second main character, also uses writing as the means to constructing her self once more as a writer. In 1, the Divine, Sarah is able to begin writing her memoir only when she becomes conscious that what has hindered her from her task is her inability to successfully construct her self. The incessant attempts at writing her memoir helps Sarah construct her self so that she understands what she is and enables her finally begin writing her memoir. The Role of Writing the Self ... shows the close relationship between writing about the self and constructing that self.
